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 "We told the guys, 'They're going to come out and try to knock
you out. If we can hang in there and keep it close going into the
final six minutes or so, we have a chance,' " Purnell said. "We
weren't able to do that."
Not even close. Forwards Victor Robbins and Olaf Schaftenaar notched
career scoring highs as the Beavers (8-2) won in a 90-59 rout of the
Blue Demons.
Robbins scored 27 points and Schaftenaar 23 for Oregon State, which
never trailed and led by as many as 34 points. It was the Beavers'
highest point total of the season.
Forward Jamee Crockett paced the Blue Demons (6-4) with 14 points.
He was the only player to score in double figures for the losers,
who shot a season-low .340 from the field and had 18 turnovers.
Oregon State shot .545 from the field and .885 from the foul line
and made 7 of 16 3-point attempts. The Beavers won the rebound
battle 39-28, including 22-11 in the first half -- 10 of those at
the offensive end.
 "We have to do a better job keeping them off the offensive glass,"
Purnell said. "That really hurt us in the first half. The further we
got down, the more we pressed offensively. The reason we got down is
they were able to get second and third shots, right from the opening
possession."
Oregon State's Gary Payton II, who got the second triple-double in
school history in Monday's 71-43 win over Grambling State, had
another well-rounded game with 15 points, seven rebounds, five
assists and five steals. The son of Hall of Famer Gary Payton was 6
of 9 from the field and 3-for-3 at the line.
"I was tremendously impressed," Purnell said. "He's a phenomenal
athlete. I just really like him as a player."
Leading 48-28 at halftime, Oregon State, kept its foot on the gas
after the break, increasing its lead to 63-38 with 12:30 remaining.
It was 76-47 four minutes later, and DePaul was never able to turn
the momentum its way.
"I just know on this night, our guys had a little more in our tank
than (DePaul) did," Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle said. "That was
good to see."
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"We can't keep putting ourselves in a hole, particularly on the road
against a good team," Purnell said. "And I really think they are
good. I like their pieces. I'd have liked to see how good they are
in a closer game -- we never threatened them. But they played pretty
doggone well."
The Blue Demons head for Honolulu, where they will participate in
the eight-team Diamond Head Classic, beginning Monday against
Colorado.
"I always try to get three things out of these kind of trips," said
Purnell, in his fifth season at DePaul. "One, to come closer as a
team. It's a nice experience for a student-athlete to be in Hawaii
for four or five days. If they handle it the right way, it's an
experience they'll remember for the rest of their lives. Two, we
have to improve a lot. And three, you want to win games."
NOTES: Oregon State improved to 7-0 at home this season. ... This
was the third meeting between the two schools, the two previous
games in Chicago. DePaul, led by George Mikan, beat Oregon State
59-40 in 1945. Last season, the Blue Demons beat the Beavers 93-81.
... DePaul had knocked off another Pac-12 opponent, Stanford, 87-72
on Nov. 30. ... Oregon State entered the game ranked seventh
nationally in opponents' field-goal percentage (.342) and 11th in
scoring defense (55.0). ... Payton II achieved the second
triple-double in school history with 10 points, 12 rebounds and 10
assists. He joins his father, who recorded a triple-double against
Portland in 1988, as the two Beavers to achieve that feat. They are
believed to be the only father-son combination to pull off the feat
in NCAA history.
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